Rig Veda 10.73.3: Mandala 10, Sukta 73, Mantra 3
Sukta 10.73
ऋष्वा ते पादा प्र यज्जिगास्यवर्धन्वाजा उत ये चिदत्र । त्वमिन्द्र सालावृकान्त्सहस्रमासन्दधिषे अश्विना ववृत्याः ॥
ṛṣvā́ te pā́dā prá yát jigā́sy ávardhan vājā́ uta yé cíd átra | tvám indra sālāvṛkā́n sahásram ā́sán dadhiṣe aśvínā ā́ vavṛtyā́ḥ ||
Wenn deine hohen Schritte vorandrängen, um den Gewinn zu erringen, wachsen die Füllen der Kraft—auch die, die hier sind. Du, o Indra, setztest tausend sālāvṛka auf ihre Sitze, als die Aśvins in ihrer Fahrt sich dir zuwandten.
Soma praise emphasizing Indra’s forward strides and the increase of vāja; suitable for stotra/śastra sequences invoking victory and force
ascent (ṛṣvá), mastery/ordering of inner forces (√dhā), embodied realization (‘atra’)
Ṛta is experienced as right placement (āsana) of forces under illumined governance.
Truth manifests as effective capacity and harmonious coordination, not mere vision.
Growth of powers through ascent; organization of the many into a stable order.
Integral psychological reading: ascent and integration (widening + ordering).
Each ‘step’ is an inner breakthrough; ‘prizes’ are new capacities; the twins are balanced supports enabling swift progress.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The ‘divine stride brings increase’ mythologem: Indra’s forward steps cause vājāḥ to grow. Secondarily, the ordering/placing of predatory powers (sālāvṛkāḥ) suggests the taming of inner dangers within the ‘house’ of the being.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- pāda ‘foot/step’ < PIE *ped- is a transparent IE inheritance. √dhā ‘place’ corresponds to PIE *dheh₁- ‘to put, set’ (Greek tithēmi, Latin faciō via different root; more directly Sanskrit dadhāti ~ Greek tithēmi).
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The seer observes a law of inner yogic economy: when Indra’s ‘steps’ of consciousness advance, the vāja within the practitioner increases ‘even here’. The rishi’s recognition/praise calls and stabilizes that movement, while Aśvin powers harmonize and quicken the process.
Visualize Indra’s ‘lofty steps’ as successive widenings: body → breath → mind → witness. Then ‘seat’ the scattered impulses into still attention.
Ājñā for widening insight; Mūlādhāra for ‘seating’ stability; Maṇipūra for vāja (effective force).
3-stage breath: inhale to abdomen–ribs–upper chest (widening), exhale slow and complete (seating).
Expansive alertness transitioning into steady mastery.
After chanting, do a 2-minute ‘seating practice’: label the top 5 distractions; assign each a time/place later; return to one-pointed focus. This is the inner ‘āsan dadhiṣe’.
Triṣṭubh (probable). Maintain clear accent peaks on ṛṣvā, pādā, j, vājāḥ, índra. Exact svara requires śākhā mapping.
Let ‘ṛṣvā te pādā’ open wide; place a gentle pause after ‘jigāsi’; emphasize ‘āsan dadhiṣe’ as settling.
Pronounce ṛṣvā with clear vocalic ṛ (ऋष्वा), Keep jigāsi with hard g (जिगासि), Aśvinā: keep śv cluster clean (अश्विना)
Uplifted at start, then grounded and steady by the end.
3
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